90% of Koreans Say "Political Conflict is Serious"... Tied for 1st with the US in 'Capitol Riot'

Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Nine out of ten Koreans believe that political conflicts within society are severe.

On the 14th (local time), the U.S. public opinion research organization Pew Research Center announced that among 17 advanced countries worldwide, 90% of respondents in South Korea answered that social conflicts based on party affiliation are 'serious' or 'very serious.' This placed South Korea in a tie for first place with the United States (90%), where an unprecedented Capitol riot occurred in January.

High proportions of citizens in Taiwan (69%), France (65%), Italy (64%), Spain (58%), Germany (56%), the United Kingdom (52%), and Greece (50%) also responded that political conflicts within their countries are severe. Japan (39%), the Netherlands (38%), New Zealand (38%), Sweden (35%), and Singapore (33%) were below 40%. The median value among the surveyed countries was 50%.

Koreans also generally perceive religious conflicts as serious. The proportion of Koreans who answered that conflicts between religions are severe was 61%, the highest among the surveyed countries. Among other countries surveyed, only France had more than half of respondents considering religious conflicts serious, excluding South Korea.

In the United States, 49% responded that religious conflicts are serious, followed by Germany (46%) and Belgium (46%). Taiwan (12%) and Spain (19%) had response rates in the teens for serious religious conflicts.

The proportion of Koreans who consider conflicts due to race and ethnicity serious also reached 57%. This ranks joint third with Italy (57%), following the United States (71%) and France (64%).

The Pew Research Center explained, "In South Korea, perceptions of racial and ethnic conflicts were more pronounced among younger age groups and those with higher education levels."

Respondents who answered that conflicts between urban and rural residents are serious accounted for 43%. In this survey, only France (45%) had a higher figure than South Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.